There is only a brief window of time, at sunrise, when the low angled light adds shadows to the ripples in the dunes. As soon as the sun has risen much above the horizon, the light becomes harsh and the contrast disappears. January 16, 2009.
One of my favorite shots from the Mesquite Dunes at Stovepipe Wells, Death Valley. Taken with a 12-24mm wide-angle lens. I’m reminded to use the wide-angle more often. January 16, 2009.
I was aware the moon would be setting near sunrise the previous morning at the Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes, but I hadn’t checked to see when it would set this morning. I was happy to find this alignment with Telescope Peak when I arrived at Badwater. This was about 40 minutes before sunrise.
The Red Cathedral is less than an hour hike up Golden Canyon. The formation consists of red oxidized rocks and contrasts nicely with the yellow mudstones and siltstones of Golden Canyon.
The sun was getting higher and soon the ripples and shadows would be gone from the dunes. It is an 8 hour drive from my home to Death Valley; it was a 26 mile drive to the dune area and another hour’s hike into the dunes with my tripod and cameras. Every moment was worth it!
The contrast of light and shadow makes for good black and white conversion from the original color. The Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes cover about 14 square miles of Death Valley. This was taken as I hiked back out of the dunes.
I carried two cameras into the dunes so that I could use different lenses without having to change them in the sandy environment. One camera had a telephoto lens for isolating elements in the dunes. The other had a wider lens for compositions like this one.
The eye follows the strong lines of the ridges of the dunes. Good compositions stretch in every direction; S-curves and leading lines abound. It is very satisfying to be in the middle of the dunes with good light and a camera. It makes the effort to get there worthwhile.